Toilet apparatus intended for persons generally confined to their bed, is already known in the art. However, the conventional apparatus which is available, heretofore, is not comfortable to the patient, does not allow the patient to use the toilet in the normal customary manner, and often requires that the patients leave their beds.
Conventional devices often used for patients are bedpans. These irritate the skin of the patient, and do not allow the patient to sit upright in the desired normal customary manner. Other conventional devices known in the art require that the patients be displaced relative to their beds, or leave their beds, in order to enable them to use the toilet in a seated normal upright position. Still other apparatus available in the art require that hospital aides, for example, exert considerable effort and carry out laborious procedures to apply the apparatus to the patient for use. This is often particularly uncomfortable to the patient, and requires that the aides possess substantial physical strength to carry and position the patient. The apparatus, furthermore, does not include provisions for hygienic cleansing and leaves the patient often in discomfort.
In addition to the disadvantages inherent in the conventional apparatus or hospital bed, these do not include provisions for transferring a patient from the bed to a wheelchair without requiring attendants to remove the patient from the bed and carry the patient into the wheelchair when the patient does not have, for example, sufficient muscle control or strength.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement which permits bedridden patients to use a toilet in a seated normally upright position, without leaving their beds.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toilet arrangement which permits patients to use a toilet without leaving their beds, and without requiring that the patients exert substantial effort in becoming positioned over the toilet.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a toilet arrangement of the foregoing character which applies hygienic cleansing to a patient after use of the toilet.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement in conjunction with the toilet apparatus, which enables a patient to be placed directly into a wheelchair from the bed, without requiring that the patient be carried into the wheelchair or that the patient take physical steps to be seated into the wheelchair.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide the foregoing arrangement for placing a patient over a toilet or into a wheelchair, in which the patient cannot exert any movements due to, for example, lack of muscle control or physical strength.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement as described, which is simple in design, requires no special skill to use or operate, and may be maintained economically in service.